Yes, yet another study on what boomers and seniors are doing online was released.  Specifically it addresses how they’re using social media. 

The primary finding is that “…social networking use among those ages 50 and older nearly doubled over the past year.”  They’re getting into the groove with networking sites. This is from a study by the Pew Research Center (“Older Adults and Social Media).

In fact among those ages 50-64 that are online, nearly half (47%) use social networking sites (an 88% increase).  And for those users over the age of 65, one in four (26%) are socializing online (a 100% increase over the previous year).

Significance to Nonprofits

Seniors (over the age of 65) comprise the vast majority of donors for the vast majority of charities.   

Boomers also ought to be a target market that charities are reaching out to.  This group is worthy of much attention and cultivating so they too become a major segment of your donor pool . . . so they’re already supporting you in one way or another before they reach age 65.

And if these two groups are using more social media then this is where you can find them.  Go where the people are.

1 - Start now to expand your donor profile to include the “young donors age 45-55.”  Reach out to them on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube to name a few.  Have a presence on these networks and seek out those who fit your target donor profile.

2 – If most of your donors are over 65, keep your website design simple.  Minimize the raz-a-ma-taz, flash, etc. This drags site loading to a death crawl.

This is always good advice but the Pew research found that “seniors over 65 are among those least likely to have high-speed Internet access at home — less than one-third of them have broadband.”

Make it easy for web visitors to enlarge font size

Also have a way for web visitors to increase the size of the font.  Make this prominent and EASY to find.  The graphic to the left illustrates what I mean.

3 – Email is a great way to communicate with seniors and boomers.  60% of boomer Internet users send or receive email; and this is true for 55% of seniors.

4 – Consider online ads (i.e., Google Display ads) to reach those who visit other types of websites. For example: A very large segment of web users also get their news online (42% boomers, 34% seniors), do banking online (22% boomers, 19% seniors), and fewer use online classifieds (6% boomers, 5% seniors).

Why boomers & seniors use social media

Knowledge of your target audience is priceless.  Knowing why boomers and seniors are using social media will help you tailor your communications so they resonate with the readers.

According to Pew research, the three primary reasons are these:

1 – Connections with friends and colleagues from their past can “…provide a powerful support network when people near retirement or embark on a new career.” 

Takeaway: If you’re on the staff of a membership association, how might you use this knowledge to attract more members?  How might you tap into the experience and knowledge of these people to educate and train more of your younger members?

2 – “Older adults are more likely to be living with a chronic disease.  Those living with these diseases are more likely to reach out for support online.”  Blogging and online health forums or listservs are popular with some people coping with a serious illness.

Takeaway: How might this knowledge help your health or disease research charity grow?  Can they find you and the help they need on social sites?  Are you giving them the web communication channels they want?

3 – “Social media bridges generational gaps . . . these social spaces pool together users from very different parts of people’s lives and provide the opportunity to share skills across generational divides.”

Takeaway: Similar to #2, health charities can also reach out to younger age groups who may have parents or grandparents suffering from a chronic disease.  They may well want to support a charity that’s helping a family member.   And there are many types of nonprofits that can use this generational diversity to their advantage.

Proceed with a Plan

But I don’t want you to blindly dive head first into the deep water.  You might drown.  What I mean is that without a nonprofit social media plan you could easily use precious resources inefficiently.

Therefore, first have a plan on how you’ll integrate social media into your fundraising and marketing strategy, and know what you want it to do for your nonprofit.

With your plan in place . . . here’s one idea on how to leverage your time and the content you create: Add a blog to your static website. No one needs to know it’s a blog (have your web designer create a header that matches the rest of your site). 

But it’s a super easy and fast way to add content – to keep your website fresh.  And if it’s not “obvious” that it’s a blog then you won’t feel burdened to update it every other day or so. 

The advantage is that each time you add a success story from the field to your website (i.e., the blog), you can have it automatically update your Facebook page. 

More detailed results from the study

• One in five (20%) online adults ages 50-64 say they use social networking sites on a typical day, up from 10% one year ago.

• Among adults ages 65 and older, 13% log on to social networking sites on a typical day, compared with just 4% who did so in 2009.

• One in ten Internet users ages 50 and older now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or see updates about others.

As the study says, they’re using these sites to connect with old friends, keep in touch with family (especially those far away including nieces, nephews, and grandkids), building networks for finding jobs and furthering their careers, and to keep current on events.

Boomers and seniors are groovin’ online.  More and more are expanding their online use every day.  Go where the people are.  Integrate your fundraising and marketing plans to include social media.  But do this wisely.  Do this with a plan.

You can grow your subscribers and followers by integrating email and social media.  They feed off each other and the result is more people reading your content.

How might you integrate email and social media?

- deliver blog posts via email

- share email newsletters on Twitter

- insert links to blog posts within emails and newsletters

- In a manner of speaking, Facebook does a simplistic form of integration for you.  Facebook requires an email address to log-on, and their emails notify you of updates, friend requests and comments.  

Again, by driving your social media followers and fans to email lists – and vice versa – you can build your subscriber base (and yes, follower/fan lists also grows).  This also gives subscribers the choice of reading your content in their preferred channel.  It’s good service (cultivation and building relationships) to give them a choice whenever possible.

Will you really see growth in your lists/databases? 

A recent survey by AWeber of email marketers found that . . .

33% reported an increase in their email subscriber base after integrating social media and email marketing.

30% reported an increase in friends/fans/followers after integrating social media and email marketing.

20% reported an increase in loyalty after integrating social media and email marketing.
 

Not all the marketers track their numbers.  If they did I firmly believe the numbers would be higher. 

There’s more.  A study by the Nielsen Company indicates that “…social media use makes people consume email more, not less…particularly for the highest social media users.”

Bottom Line:   It pays to integrate email and social media.  It will yield more subscribers and followers.  But don’t stop there.  Nonprofits today must have a complete mix of offline and online channels in order to survive.  And they must also do it well in order to thrive with their fundraising and marketing.

Would you produce a direct mail campaign on a whim?  Would you just “try it” to see what happens?  Or would you plan it carefully as part of an overall fundraising and marketing strategy?

I believe your answer is that you would plan it carefully as part of an overall strategy.

So why do so many nonprofits and for-profit companies venture into social media without a strategy?  This is the on-target question raised by Steve Richards in Econsultancy’s Digital Marketing Blog post, “Why you need a social media strategy, not a Facebook strategy.”

Richards’ point is that almost no one would experiment like this offline.  So why be so haphazard with social media?  To quote Richards,

“The paradox is that most of these same companies would not undertake offline marketing activities on a whim, but carefully plan their campaigns to the smallest detail. They are scrupulous about targeting their direct response campaigns, and every word of a print advertisement is carefully chosen.”

Even other online channels such as email and pay-per-click are done with care and a thought-out strategy.  This is in contrast to social media which is often viewed as “an add-on that we get to whenever we have a few extra minutes.” 

Yikes.  That’s risky.

To paraphrase Richards and to put this in context of the nonprofit sector:  “And when I say social media activities, I mean a structured, organised set of activities, which bring your social media strategy to life. It’s not about being on Facebook, or having a Twitter account, or creating a YouTube channel. Social media isn’t a set of platforms; it’s an attitude towards engaging with prospects, donors, and members in an open, honest way, and it has to be properly co-ordinated . . . “

Technology and new tools are great. I mean that. We simply need to be careful not to be dazzled by the shiny new toy.  We need to be careful not to start playing with the new toy without first reading the instructions and understanding how it works.  Or rather, without first understanding how social media fits in with your overall fundraising and marketing strategy, goals, and objectives. Including, what you specifically want to achieve with social media that contributes to your overall strategy.

Here are some points to consider as you develop your social media strategy:

- Who are you targeting?

- Where’s the best place(s) to find them? Which social media platforms are most relevant for your audience?

- Perhaps you’re also trying to expand your audience into a broader cross section of people.  That’s fine. But again, have a plan and choose social media platforms that match your target.

- What types of messages will resonate with your audience and inspire them to respond?

- Social media is a great way to drive traffic to your website. What will you have them do when they get there?

- Social media is also a way to monitor what’s being said about your nonprofit.

- How can social media build upon and compliment everything else you’re doing?  How can these platforms reinforce your other channels?

- Will you use social media to raise awareness, raise funds, cultivate donors and members, share news, market events, praise donors and volunteers, acquire more supporters, etc.?

- What are you striving for through social media?  And what is the sequence of steps you must guide them (i.e., donors, prospects, advocates, members, etc.) through to reach your goal?

Bottom line: Without a social media strategy how will you ever know if you accomplished your goal?  How will you know if your efforts have been worthwhile?

Today I focus on three common problems I see in tweets by charities.  The reason I’m devoting so much time to these problems is this: I believe your nonprofit won’t experience the full benefit of Twitter as a social media community until these are corrected.

To help illustrate each of the three problems, you’ll see actual tweets by charities that I found on Twitter.  Unfortunately there is an abundance of examples to choose from.  Here we go . . .

1 – Tweet is too long.  A fundamental concept of social media is “sharing the content.”  You want your Twitter followers to retweet your messages.  You want them (i.e., donors, prospects, volunteers, advocates, etc.) to share your tweets with their personal network.

     To maximize how often this is done, you must make it easy for them to retweet.  For those tweets you consider most important, and that you really hope get retweeted . . . follow this advice on how to make it easier for your followers. 

     When a follower clicks the “RT” (retweet) button, the new message shouldn’t exceed 140 characters.  We shouldn’t have to spend our valuable time editing your original tweet in order to make it 140 characters or less.

     Example of a “problem” tweet I saw on Twitter
     Orig tweet = 138 characters

Go to Stacks Restaurant Tonite!There is a kick off dinner at Stacks at 7 pm. If you cannot make tomorrow evening,… http://fb.me/CZ9g89Gm

     I hit ‘RT’ and now it’s 157 characters 

RT @jubileecenter: Go to Stacks Restaurant Tonite!There is a kick off dinner at Stacks at 7 pm. If you cannot make tomorrow evening,… http://fb.me/CZ9g89Gm

     This means I have to spend time editing. Some people do this well.  Others may delete a keyword or hashtag you don’t want to lose.  Therefore, your original tweet (assuming you want people to retweet and share) must leave room for the “RT @yourname: “  In the example above, that means: 140 – 19 = 121 characters.  In other words, Jubilee Center writes tweets 121 characters long or less.

     2 More Examples of “problem” tweets I pulled off of Twitter
     Charity’s tweet = 132 characters

Watch video of survivor and former patient Stephanie Hosford give words of courage from the All-Star 5k Fun Run http://bit.ly/dyMlST

     Retweet = 148 characters (This charity’s tweet should be 124 or less)

RT @cityofhope: Watch video of survivor and former patient Stephanie Hosford give words of courage from the All-Star 5k Fun Run http://bit.ly/dyMlST

      Charity’s tweet = 124 characters

Mission-Orphanage for 200 girls in India-we hv land desire,faith,belief,purpose,& children 2 start http://twitpic.com/24g6ms

      Retweet = 145 characters (This charity’s tweet should be 119 or less)

RT @mission4orphans: Mission-Orphanage for 200 girls in India-we hv land desire,faith,belief,purpose,& children 2 start http://twitpic.com/24g6ms

2 – No clear benefit to the reader, to the follower of your tweets.  Your Twitter content must be engaging, interesting, answer reader/donor questions, share nuggets of information, entice us to read more, and so on. 

       Let’s look at three examples:

       a – The tweet below resembles a personal tweet; an individual sending a tweet out to friends and inviting them to dinner.  However, it is from @jubileecenter.  But unless EVERYONE already knows exactly what Jubilee Center is talking about, this tweet falls on deaf ears.  Only mild curiosity will get someone to click.  That’s not all.  When you click on the link you don’t learn anything new about the event. 

Go to Stacks Restaurant Tonite!There is a kick off dinner at Stacks at 7 pm. If you cannot make tomorrow evening,… http://fb.me/CZ9g89Gm

      b – In the tweet below from @mercycorps … Why would I care about this person taking at least 45 minutes to drive out of some city on the Central Plateau?  How does asking donors to read chit-chat build a stronger relationship with them?  In my opinion, a charity must share valuable content even in Twitter and other social media sites.  What follows isn’t an example of value-added content and that’s why I don’t care for it:

On the road to Central Plateau. Driving for 45 minutes and still not out of the city. (LH)  

     c -  Don’t make me work to figure out what you’re talking about.  Granted, with 140 characters – and less – it is challenging to write a coherent, benefit-ridden tweet. But it can be done.  First the “problem” tweet from @mission4orphans,   

Mission-Orphanage for 200 girls in India-we hv land desire,faith,belief,purpose,& children 2 start http://twitpic.com/24g6ms 

     I took their tweet and rewrote it as an example of one way to rephrase it that shares how donors can help.  And it’s only 117 characters so it can be retweeted without editing…  

Please help bring care, love, safety, and schooling to 200 girls in India w/new orphanage – http://twitpic.com/24g6ms

3 – Make the landing page worthwhile.  IF you’re going to include a link, then make it worth our while to click the link.  In the two examples above from the Jubilee Center and Mission for Orphans, both links go to pages with zero new information.  No additional clarification on the message; how to respond; why I should do anything at all; etc.  I know this sounds harsh, but it is such an IMPORTANT point!

     To strengthen relationships with your followers, take care that you do NOT waste their time.  Share something of value on the landing pages.

      In the @mission4orphans example, I was expecting to read about the new orphanage when I went to the landing page.  Tell me about the project, its status, the plans, more details on how the 200 girls will have far better lives, how I can make a difference as a donor, etc.

Recap: To get more benefit from your social media efforts on Twitter,

 1 – Make it easy for followers to retweet. Craft a shorter tweet that accommodates the automatic text added when tweeters click “RT”.  At least do this for those tweets with especially important messages that you really hope people will retweet for you.

 2 – Have a benefit in the tweet.  Give me a nugget right then, or tell me what nuggets I’ll get if you have a link for me to click.

 3 – Make sure your landing page adds value.  Give me NEW information. Help me understand more of what you need or how I can help you.  

When you do all of these consistently, I believe you’ll see more of your tweets retweeted.  I believe you’ll see more clicks on your links.  And therefore the “social” aspect of Twitter will work to benefit your charity.

The second annual “Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report” was just released.  This study of how nonprofits use commercial social networks also compares usage changes from year to year.  It is a joint effort by NTEN, ThePort Network, and Common Knowledge.

Overall more and more nonprofits are using social networks. A quick snapshot of what the study shows is as follows:

• 86% of nonprofits surveyed use Facebook. This is a growth of 16%.  However, the average community size shrank in the past year from 5,391 members to 2,440.  The three groups that are the biggest users of Facebook are international groups (97%), environmental and animal welfare (91%), and the arts and culture nonprofits (89%).
• Twitter saw more growth – 38% – than Facebook. The result is that about 60% of those surveyed are using Twitter.  Another area of growth is the average community size which increased dramatically from 286 followers to 1,792.  Twitter gained more nonprofit tweeters and the nonprofits on Twitter gained more followers.
• LinkedIn remained essentially the same in terms of the number of nonprofits using it – 33.1%.  The biggest users of this social network are associations (65% use it) and higher education (45% use it).  This makes sense because LinkedIn is predominately a business-to-business network.
• YouTube saw a tiny bit of growth with 48.1% of nonprofits taking advantage of this social media network.
• The social network that is rapidly falling off the nonprofit radar screen is MySpace.  It suffered a 45% drop in popularity with only 14.4% of nonprofits using it in 2010.

How are nonprofits using commercial social networks?  The number one purpose or role is for marketing.  92.5% said that promoting their brand, programs, events or services is the most popular role for social networks within their organization.  Second in line is fundraising at 45.9%.

In my opinion cultivation ought to be high on the list of uses.  Perhaps some nonprofits lump this in with marketing.  Click  here to read more ideas on how else to use social networks.

One result I found interesting was the comparitive growth between Facebook and Twitter.  While both gained nonprofit users . . . the average community size shrank dramatically on Facebook and grew by leaps and bounds on Twitter.  I can’t help but wonder if some of the changes Facebook has made in the past year contributed to the decline.  I say this because many changes have been unpopular with users, made it more complicated to use, and generally muddied the water for a lot of users. 

Did Facebook drive away users?  And did this impact the average community size for nonprofits?  Maybe so.

You can download a free copy by clicking this hypertext link: Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report

Social media for nonprofits – used wisely – is a beneficial tactic to use.  But not without first developing a strategy for how it’s integrated into everything else you do. 

For example: Would you dive into direct mail or email marketing without a plan?  Without knowing what goals or objectives your nonprofit has for the marketing channel?  Without knowing all the ways you’ll use it such as acquisition, renewal and cultivation, fundraising, cultivation, sharing news, etc.?  Hopefully not!! 

Same holds true for social media (i.e., blogs, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, social bookmarking, video, and so on).  Don’t dive in until you know what you’re going to do; how you’re going to do it; and why you’re going to do it.  Diving in without a strategic plan is as risky as diving into water without knowing how deep it is.  You can get hurt.

I’m not referring to writing a social media policy.  I AM talking about how it is integrated into everything else you do for a multi-channel approach.

In my opinion, if you participate in social media then it needs to receive the same attention as direct mail, your website, and email when you develop your annual fundraising and marketing plans.  Why?  Because anything that taxes your precious resources deserves careful thought.

More ways to use social media (SM) wisely:

> Don’t limit the use of SM to sending out blasts.  You need to be involved in an exchange.  For example: Where does it make sense for you to participate in someone else’s conversation?  It could be with consultants like me.  It could also be with organizations like the DMANF, AFP, Chronicle of Philanthropy, ASAE, the Foundation Center, etc.  And in some cases with other complimentary nonprofits. 

    You’ll show that you understand the true nature of social media – sharing.  You will also get more exposure for your nonprofit.

> Someone needs to be designated as the person responsible for monitoring the conversations that might be taking place about your nonprofit, the industry you’re in (applicable to associations and trade orgs), or events in the news that influence your organization within the social media channels.

> Whoever is out there representing you, well… make certain they have some customer service and people skills.  HOW they respond – tone and what they say – to people has a profound impact on your nonprofit.  This is true for any marketing and fundraising channel.

> Add value to the conversation.  Share your expertise without always clamoring for funds.  Share with supporters info they’re interested in.  Remember: What’s most important to them may not be what is most important to you. 

> Social media is an easy and effective way to recognize and praise donors, volunteers, and others. 

> This is a prime cultivation channel.  Nurture and cultivate your relationships with members, donors, advocates, volunteers, and corporate partners. 

> Search the social networks for people passionate about what you do.  Who is already talking about protecting children; helping adults read; living green; their love of animals; their love of music and the arts; etc.?  Compliment their insights without bragging about yourself.  Just start a conversation.  Your community of followers ought to grow.  Plus these folks with likely turn into 3rd party endorsements for what you do which is far more powerful than saying it yourself.  CULTIVATE the influencers and super users of SM.

> If you decide to also use SM for fundraising, trends show that a specific small project over a short time frame is generally the most effective approach.  For example: Over the next two weeks your goal is to raise $2,000 to send three adults to literacy night school classes.  Give progress updates on the campaign.   And if at all possible, updates from the beneficiaries once classes start.

Finally, don’t dive into social media until your website and email marketing are working well for you.  These are the two most important online tools which social media can compliment nicely. 

Integrate social media into your overall fundraising and marketing plans.  And based on your goals, dedicate the corresponding resources to support it in order for social media to be effective for your nonprofit.  Just don’t dive in blindly.

Is the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) better at building relationships through social media with the flying public than you are with donors?  I hope not.

Let me set the stage.

I don’t know about you, but flying commercial just isn’t fun.  And there was a point in time when it was, at least for me.  That says a lot given that I’m also a private pilot. 

And the non-fun begins with the journey through security.  Get herded through a network of barriers like cattle.  Jam all tiny containers of liquids, gels and creams into a quart bag. Empty your pockets.  Take off your shoes and walk on that pristine floor.  Toss everything into a plastic bin that has been handled by thousands and who knows how often it’s cleaned.  Prodded along by a TSA agent shouting out instructions and scolding less experienced travelers unfamiliar with the routine. Watching your personal items disappear along the conveyor into the x-ray cave.  Waiting for permission to walk through the metal detector and hoping you didn’t forget to strip off something that will trip it.  Then anxiously waiting for your stuff to roll out the other end of the conveyor.

Then it happens.  The conveyor belt stops and it’s your stuff they’re discussing.  Oh-oh.  The TSA agents start to look at you more closely and you’re feeling guilty for no apparent reason.  Fears and images of a complete strip search enter your mind. 

The TSA agent asks, “Is this your jacket?”  “Why, yes it is,” you ever-so-politely reply.  She then takes a special piece of paper from a machine and swipes it on the palms of your hands.  Puts it back in the machine to be analyzed.  Takes another strip of paper and swipes it on the outer edges of the jacket pockets and puts that paper in the machine to be analyzed.  They were testing for explosives.  And what triggered (oops, maybe not the best choice of words) this scrutiny? 

Two bananas were in the pocket of the jacket.  No kidding.  That’s exactly what happened to my husband on a trip we took last week.  Moral of the story?  Don’t travel with healthy food.

Perhaps I should send in a question to TSA’s blog and ask them why bananas were such a great concern? 

Anyway, TSA is using social media to answer questions from the traveling public.  And it’s working.  I mean, let’s face it.  Most TSA agents aren’t too friendly.  When one exhibits a bit of warm personality it’s noteworthy.  And they don’t have the most desirable job in the world either.  So with much of the public viewing them with disdain, their move to social media is a wise one.

It’s good public relations (PR).  They’re building positive relationships with the public.

They have one full-time blogger (Blogger Bob) with others as back-up and to help with questions he may not know the answer to.  And there are few criticisms coming in.  Mostly there are questions such as,

“Why do I have to take off my shoes?”
“Why do I have to take out my laptop?”
“Why are bananas so dangerous?”  (Sorry.  I added that one)

The benefits to using social media are rolling in. 

• They’re building stronger relationships with the public
• They’re educating the public on how these procedures help keep them safe
• TSA says it’s smoothing the process and helps people to both get through the checkpoint quicker
• It’s helped TSA improve security
• And some of the questions have also influenced changes in policy

TSA views social media (they’re now adding Twitter) as a way to have a conversation with the public.  It can certainly be a way for you to have a conversation with your donors too. 

I believe it’s important for donors to have more than one easy way (i.e., easy for the donors) to send your nonprofit questions, comments, praise and suggestions.  Blogs, tweets, email, phone calls, etc. are all ways to have a two-way conversation. 

Use social media to build stronger relationships with donors.  Keep them informed with very timely updates.  Get them engaged and build loyalty to your nonprofit.  It will pay you dividends in the way of higher retention rates and higher life-time donor value.

I’m confident you can be as successful – and friendlier – at social media as the TSA is.

A post by Matthew Wlyle on TwiTip listed “5 Alternate Ways to Use Twitter.” I’ve listed 4 of his ideas and added how they can specifically benefit you, or your nonprofit association or charity:

1 – Newsfeed. It’s a tool for keeping you current on news relevant to what you do, and those you serve.

Very soon after venturing into the world of Twitter, I saw how it helped me find stories and articles of interest I hadn’t found on my own. For your nonprofit you can use Twitter to keep current on local, regional, national or international relevant news. And you can even follow journalists who specialize in your “beat.”  Notice what is of interest to them, and when you have something that fits their “beat,” send them a Tweet.  Also, if you follow them they just might follow you.

2 – Find a job.

I’m not in the market for a nonprofit job, but I’ve still noticed 3 people and organizations that advertise and help folks find employement at nonprofits.  Here are the 3 I’ve seen by scanning Tweetdeck each day, and there certainly are more:

@DCnonprofitJobs
@SFO_NonProfJobs
@ngo_careers

Plus here are tips from Mashable on using Twitter to find a job.

3 –Bookmarking. You don’t always have time to read what you find in your Twitter stream at the moment you found it.  Wlyle says just mark it as a “favorite” and read it later.  You can also “favorite” your own tweets when you want to easily find them again later on. 

This is helpful advice for anyone in any industry or market. 

4 – Follow celebrities. Twitter is a realm where celebrities rub shoulders with  everyday people.

In reality, it’s rare that the celebrity is the person tweeting. But if you want to connect with a celebrity you think might be willing to help your cause, then Twitter is a possibility. 

At the very least you can use this strategy to monitor what other nonprofits are doing. When you see a cool idea, find a way to use it for your own charity or association.

Twitter can not only help you raise awareness and build community, it’s also a fundraising tool.  A recent Mashable post covered this very topic, 10 Tips for Successful Twitter Fundraising.

After each of Mashable’s 10 tips listed below, I added a short synopsis of what it covers.  But I also recommend you read the full article on Mashable. 

1. Cultivate a Strong Community First – Twitter itself isn’t the secret.  The secret and the power come from the people who use it.  Connect and build a community with those people before you start to fundraise.

2. State Your Purpose and Your Request Clearly – This ties to donor-centered messages, transparency, and letting donors know HOW their money will be used and HOW they’ll help make the world a better place by giving you money.

3. Create Buzz and Excitement – Includes techniques such as creating catchy taglines or hashtags and unique avatar ribbons.  Make it easy, distinctive, and if appropriate . . . also make it fun for donors.  I say if appropriate because not all missions and events lend themselves to humor.  This bullet also refers to contests; reaching out to local businesses, artists, musicians, etc. to create buzz.

4. Have a Strong Set Up Behind the Scenes – This is roughly analogous to starting a direct mail campaign when you’ve never done it before.  You don’t send out an acquisition mailing unless you’re also prepared to do several follow-on renewal campaigns.  The backend and everything else “behind the scenes” that it takes to have a successful direct mail campaign is the key (e.g., the database software, vendors, staff to execute, etc.).  In other words, it takes more than a few tweets to raise funds.

5. Have a Powerful Offline Component – For this tip they say “combining offline and online gives a fuller experience.”   And the author suggests using “…apps like Foursquare to tie in geo-tagged fundraising initiatives, or Social Scavenger for charity challenges…”

6. Plan, Prepare, Execute, then Get Out of the Way – Remember, in the social networking communities you do not have control over how your messages will spread, get edited, or by whom.  If you over-analyze or over-plan in this environment you’ll probably foul it up.

7. Recognize Volunteers and Donors – Send out tweets praising those who are helping you via Twitter and other methods.

8. Keep Contributors Up-to-Date on Progress and Needs – Twitter is a tool that makes it easy to keep donors informed.  And sometimes – says the author of the Mashable post – it’s good for a charity to connect donors and beneficiaries so they tweet directly with each other.

9. Keep Track of Developing Relationships – Fundraising on Twitter may bring you new donors and/or followers.  Find ways to keep them engaged after the fundraising event is over.

10. Look for Ways to Improve for Next Time – Evaluate what worked and what didn’t, record the lessons learned, and make the next fundraising event even better.

Want more tips for fundraising with Twitter?  Here’s a post I wrote late last fall, Twitter Tips Specific to Fundraising

The folks at PJA Internet Radio want to feature nonprofits during an upcoming radio show.

I found out about this on LinkedIn where Jessica Weil started a discussion today, Feb 12th.  Jessica is a “Social Media Analyst at PJA Advertising & Marketing.”  To quote Jessica’s question posted HERE on LinkedIn . . .

“Do you have any examples of non-profits who have effectively used social networks to raise money, increase visibility, or spread the word on a cause?  This question will be utilized for content for PJA Advertising & Marketing’s weekly Internet radio show, This Week in Social Media.”

Does your nonprofit have success stories to tell?  Can you reply to Jessica Weil via LinkedIn?

If you think you do I recommend you be prepared with specific examples and all the quantifiable data you can gather.  For example:  For Acme’s Blizzard Clothing Drive (my own ficticious example), in 48-hours on Twitter we collected donations of $4,752 to buy warm clothes for the homeless impacted by the  ice age hitting Washington D.C. and the mid-Atlantic.  And we collected 273 winter coats; 98 sets of mittons or gloves; 153 winter hats; etc.

This is a great opportunity to get some media coverage for your nonprofit.  And I’m guessing it’s with minimal effort on your part.  Afterall, the “work” is already done because you have a success story to share.  Good luck!

Click here to contact Jessica Weil via LinkedIn